People Often Visited Us

I said the people often visited us. This was very informal and was not significant except to show them friendship and give us an opportunity. They would come singly or in a crowd, sit down and talk if there was anything to say or just look around and satisfy their curiosity about the white man, his things, and his way of doing things. I remember a man once, who saw on the table a little white hair brush which had been a wedding present to me. He wondered what it was, for we explained the object of it, and he proceeded to demonstrate the use of it by brushing his own hair.

One time a party of thirty women came to see us. The seated themselves on the floor, as they did at home and took it all in. (Page 24) It was evidently their first visit in the home of the white man. Before leaving they explained they were the wives of the Governor of the place.

Once, when living in Oyo (Awyaw),(Oyo Map) we went to call on the king. We had sent word we were coming and understood that he would see us. We went in, sat down, and waited. We waited a long, long time, and still no king appeared nor did he send for us. But after a long time, he sent us word that his son, the Prince, would receive us. So we were invited into the verandah, where he was seated on a mat according to their custom and there he received us. As I remember, there was no evidence of royalty about him or his surroundings. The most striking thing I remember was that all his wives, (I have no idea how many, but the room seemed to be full) stood in the room back of him.. They seemed to be of all ages, from young girls to gray haired women.